Dancing with the Stars, Episode 4: Samba Mama

Last week on Dancing with the Stars, our celebrities Kelly Monaco, Evander Holyfield, and Joey McIntyre danced the jive, while Rachel Hunter and John O’Hurley did the tango. After the viewers’ scores from the previous week were added to the judges’ scores for that evenings’ performances, Evander and his partner Edyta Sliwinska were eliminated. Tonight, we’re down to four couples as the competition intensifies and we come one step closer to finding out which celebrity will take home the coveted first place trophy.

Usually, at this point in my recap, I throw out some information about the show that I learned during the past week; however, I’ve recently picked up several fascinating facts about our favorite new program, so instead of inundating you with them early on, I’m going to share these “tantalizing tidbits” throughout the recap. For example, according to the bio section on the show’s web site, Evander actually owns a dance studio. (If this information ever helps you to win a million dollars in a trivia contest, just remember who shared it with you.) Now let’s get on with tonight’s highlights (and possible lowlights).

Cue the opening, introduce the celebrities and their partners, and bring on Tom Bergeron and Lisa Canning. (I hope he doesn’t rush people too much and that she asks more thought provoking questions.) Tonight, the couples will be performing two dances. First, each couple will do the samba. This is a party dance, and should incorporate the volta or a bouncing step and the samba roll. Next, the couples will perform the Viennese waltz at the same time on the dance floor. This dance is physically demanding and features elegant, sweeping turns.

Our first performers of the evening are Ashly Delgrosso and Joey McIntyre. Ashly says that she is a perfectionist and doesn’t want to let Joey down in this competition. To help her relax, he takes her to Boston to have a barbecue with his family. Joey’s dad tells us to vote for his son.

Tonight, the couple is performing the samba to “Tequila.” Ashly and Joey do several crossovers with their feet. There are also many rolls and a lot of hip action in the routine. Joey continues to keep his nose in the air, which shows that he takes the judges’ critiques seriously. The performance is fun and energetic.

Tom says that Ashly and Joey move faster than Tom and Katie. After we all have a hearty laugh, the judges are ready with their critiques. Len Goodman states that there wasn’t enough technique in the routine and that it was disappointing. Ashly truly looks hurt by his comments. Next, Carrie Ann Inaba says that the performance had a party feeling to it and that Joey found the right balance between fun and elegant. Bruno Tonioli finishes by saying that he noticed Joey’s stance with his nose in the air (hey, I could be a judge), but that his rolls were a bit stiff and he needs more Ricky Martin in his hips. (I’m not going to touch this one.) After heading backstage, the couple receives their scores. Carrie, Len and Bruno give the performance a seven, six, and seven respectively. Joey has 20 points out of 30.

Next up are Rachel Hunter and Jonathan Roberts. He states that he wants no inhibition or self-consciousness from her and that she’s going to shake it. Because she feels like a goofball, she watches a samba queen so that she can learn exactly how “it” should be shaken.

The couple will be dancing to an instrumental piece from the Austin Powers movies. To begin, Rachel goes into a handstand and then does a split. At the end of the routine, Jonathan blows her a kiss and she “faints” in his arms. In between, Rachel shakes it just like Jonathan said she would. The routine is enjoyable, but it is very slow compared to the previous performance.

Bruno is ready with his comments. He says that Rachel is a sultry and exotic bird of paradise; she could be in Vegas. Carrie disagrees and says that while Rachel had some great moves, the performance was boring. Bruno grins and says he didn’t find it to be boring at all. Len says that he loved everything about it. While waiting backstage for her scores, Rachel is asked by Lisa how important the judges’ votes are. Rachel has no idea how to answer, so Jonathan jumps in to help. Chances are, she was thrown off by the stupidity of the question. Come on, the person with the lowest score each week gets eliminated. Since part of that score comes from the judges, I’d say their votes are extremely important. Yikes! I’m starting to stress. Finally, Rachel receives her scores. She gets a seven from Carrie and a nine from both Len and Bruno. This gives her 25 points for the performance.

The next couple to perform is Charlotte Jorgensen and John O’Hurley. He admits that when they performed the tango, he missed a step and it is bothering him. While he and Charlotte practice for this week’s performances, John says something and has to be “bleeped.” He also says that he has to get to same level as the professional dancers if he wants to remain in the competition.

Tantalizing Tidbit: According to an article at www.usatoday.com, John O'Hurley is an accomplished pianist, who is releasing his first CD called Peace of Our Minds this week.

Charlotte and John will dance to “Just the Two of Us.” Their routines are always so fun to watch and tonight is no exception. The performance starts with John waking Charlotte. All throughout the number, both appear to have fun. At one point, he does a move that involves spanking her. It is truly an energetic and entertaining performance.

Carrie says that the couple has great chemistry, but that the routine was off for him. In fact, it appears that he forgot some of the choreography. Len says, “I don’t know what you’re looking at.” He goes on to say that John’s dancing is fun with an edge to it. Bruno says that there wasn’t enough hip work and that John’s footwork was messy. This translates into a seven from Carrie, an eight from Len, and a six from Bruno. John now has 21 points.

Up next we have Kelly Monaco and Alec Mazo. Kelly says she’s not graceful, so she takes Bruno’s advice and gets some ballet lessons. She jokes that now she’s dreaming of Bruno and her ballet. She also says that she doesn’t want to be like an oompaloompa. I don’t think she has to worry about that.

The couple is performing the samba to “Bailamos.” There is a lot of hip movement in the routine. Kelly does a split, during which the strap of her top breaks. She’s a trouper though and subtly holds her top up periodically with her arm. She even managers to spin eight times in a row with a broken strap. The music and the choreography make the performance very sexy.

Tom says that Carrie is smiling, so he’s making her give her feedback last. Len then gives his critique and says that the couple has upped their performance. Bruno agrees and says that not only is Kelly a great competitor, she is also a hot little chili. Mama! Carrie gives the couple a standing ovation and says that Kelly was fantastic. She also acknowledges the wardrobe malfunction. For her scores, Kelly receives a nine from both Carrie and Len, and an eight from Bruno for a total of 26 points. When Lisa tells Kelly that she is in first place, she says she had no idea.

Tantalizing Tidbit: An article in TV Guide states that Carrie taught Rick Rockwell of Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire fame which knee to drop to when he proposed to Darva Conger. (Suddenly, I feel very dirty.) Carrie was also a Fly Girl on In Living Color. See, not only is it fun to read RealityNewsOnline, but it’s educational as well.

At this point, the scoreboard is as follows:

Kelly and Alec – 26 – 4

Rachel and Jonathan – 25 – 3

Charlotte and John – 21 – 2

Ashly and Joey – 20 – 1

OK, it’s time for tonight’s rant. (Where’s my dog?) As Carolyn, an RNO reader, pointed out, it’s odd that the final scores each evening are based on two separate entities scoring two separate performances. I agree with her observation. Perhaps I’m just used to the way the scoring occurs on American Idol, but the way it is done on this show does seem a bit awkward. For example, someone could be in first place after the evening’s performances, but when his or her score is combined with the viewers’ score from the previous week, that person could be eliminated! OK, that wasn’t so bad. I actually feel calm. (Good dog.) Now, discuss this subject amongst yourselves.

The last performance of the evening is from… everyone! All of the couples will be doing the Viennese waltz at the same time, but everyone will have a moment in the center of the dance floor to showcase their moves. Unlike the other performances, however, the judges will not be scoring this dance; only the viewing public will vote. Footage from a practice session is shown. John says it is like the bumper cars on the dance floor since everyone is constantly turning and they keep running into one another. John actually seems to be the instigator of most of this; he’s having a great time spinning into people.

The couples will be dancing to “I’ve Got You, Babe.” To begin, Charlotte and John are featured. They move very elegantly, even when he lifts her. Next are Rachel and Jonathan. As he spins her, she extends her arm, again showing her amazing lines. Kelly and Alec are next. In keeping with the Viennese waltz theme, the couple does a lot of turning. At one point, Alec spins Kelly so fast that I get dizzy. It doesn’t look like it fits in with the rest of the waltz, but it is impressive nevertheless. Finally, Ashly and Joey take center stage. They do several moves and I’m amazed at how comfortable he is with steps that seem to be complicated. Finally the performance ends and our couples take a bow.

Even though the judges won’t be scoring the performance, Tom asks which couple was their favorite and which was their least favorite. Carrie says that her favorite couple was Kelly and Alec, and her least favorite was Rachel and Jonathan. Len responds by saying that Charlotte and John was his favorite, but that he didn’t care for Ashly and Joey. Bruno agrees with that assessment. There really hasn’t been a lot of love for Joey tonight.

It is now time to tally the scores and determine which celebrity will be eliminated from the competition. As always, the couples returning next week are (in no particular order):

Kelly and Alec

Ashly and Joey

Either Rachel or John is about to leave the competition. The celebrity with the lowest score is… Rachel Hunter! She truly looks hurt over the news. As Tom tells her that she obviously poured herself into the competition, she begins to tear up and become emotional. (It’s nice to see that she appreciated the opportunity that was given to her.) Jonathan then begins to describe how great it was to work with Rachel, and again, she becomes upset. Even though this is the couple I picked to win the competition, I can’t say I’m completely disappointed by the elimination; the couples that remain are all doing very well and deserve to be where they are.

Rachel and Jonathan take to the dance floor one last time as “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” plays. This song is very appropriate for Rachel’s departure; she certainly enjoyed learning about ballroom dancing and going through the experience with the other celebrities.

Last week’s installment of Dancing with the Stars was up 4% from the previous week. As a result, other similar programs are being considered, including Fox’s Skating with Celebrities and NBC’s I’m a Celebrity But I Want to Be a Pop Star. Friends, this seriously frightens me… but it won’t deter me from watching. See you next week!

Now that you’ve read about what happened on Dancing with the Stars this week, be sure to check out what the Foxes On Idol Judging Panel had to say in We’ll Be the Judge of That!.

Jill is an east coast mama who loves sharks, zombie movies, and reality television. She welcomes your comments about these and other subjects, and can be reached at jilljones@verizon.net.

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